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Geraldine II Agraught
Geraldine II is the twenty-seventh monarch of Daravia, and has been in power since 598 DR. Her reign thus far has been marked by the importation of exotic artwork. Life Geraldine Agraught was born in 557 DR, to King Victor III - already in power by the time of Geraldine's birth. She grew up during an age in which the monarchy had already been reduced to figureheads, and so her education was somewhat scattered and confused; lessons in administration were no longer relevant, and so Geraldine's parents instead introduced her to a variety of academic disciplines. Geraldine was a well-rounded student by adulthood, but her particular interests lay in biology. She was interested in how humans resembled and differed from animals, and was closely involved in dissections of dogs, horses, and livestock in her early adulthood. As a result of this passion, she lobbied the parliament in 584 for a grant to travel Daravia and its allies, presenting her findings. This grant was approved, and Geraldine spent the next two years traveling between universities and demonstrating structural similarities between species. She later contributed to Ankinti ("Species"), a 591 textbook that illustrated these parallels. While in Dorio, Geraldine also attended the funeral of Benedict V. Subsequently, as Evan III took power in Dorio, Geraldine became an outspoken critic of Evan's anti-parliament sentiments; she herself had always had a favorable relationship with Daravia's parliament, and felt it to be crucial to ensuring fair justice and legislation. In 594, a diplomat from Gentor presented the Daravian monarchy with a sculpture built largely from animal bone. This fascinated Geraldine, and she closely examined it to identify all the species used in its construction; she then decided to purchase several other Gentori art pieces, which she displayed in Daravia's royal gallery. Reign Geraldine ascended the throne in 598. By this point, she was beginning to broaden her artistic tastes, and had sent for art from Dhinta, Hembore, and Yeol; these joined the row of Gentori sculptures in the gallery. Fearing that she would have to replace Daravian-made art in the gallery, Geraldine then decided to commission a Foreign Arts Hall that winter. Plans were made over the following months, and ground was broken on the Hall in autumn of 599. Much of the building is now complete, but the Foreign Arts Hall is not yet open to the public. Some Daravian artists are beginning to imitate the foreign styles seen in imported art, with Peter Cropp as one of the most prominent thus far. Some voices in the parliament have decried Geraldine's spending on art, but she has cut back on feasts and galas, and as such her expenditures have not been more than average for a Daravian monarch. Personal life In 578, Geraldine married Edmund Mastbart, a noble from the west of Daravia. Their relationship has been largely out of the public eye, although Geraldine's pregnancies have been a subject of public interest. Geraldine's first two children were born in 579 and 581, and her third was born in 584. This latest pregnancy forced Geraldine to delay her university tour until after the birth of her daughter. Geraldine suffered no reported health conditions resulting from the pregnancies or births. When Geraldine was on her university tour, she left her children in the care of her husband and sisters; this was an unpopular move among the nobility, many of whom still felt that it was Geraldine's duty to raise the children. However, when Geraldine returned home in 586, she sought to take a more active role in her children's education, particularly that of her daughter Ethel. Geraldine has also contributed substantial funding to the Castleton Women's University that her mother had founded. Category:Daravians Category:Agraught Family Category:Monarchs Category:Living People